Fool's Gold
by Zarafla Kirtan-Pherrin
Summary: After leaving El Dorado, the four adventurers go looking for the mythical city of Tollan for glory and greater riches said to be rumored there. But on the search, it seems that Miguel and Tulio's constant fighting is triggering an attraction...
1. Looking For Tollan

-Fool's Gold

Paired Couple: MiguelXTulio/SLASH!/Lime

_A/N: Miguel, Chel, Altivo, and Tulio do not belong to me, they belong to Dreamworks. So on and so forth... You guys really don't care about disclaimers, do you? You just wanna see two insanely hot men confess their love for each other, am I right? Well... Let's get to it, then._

"Miguel, I think we're going the wrong way..." A dark haired man with long black tresses in a ponytail and a black goatee stated aloud, gazing into the distance. Trees and foliage surrounded this wondrous place, and he was sure they were going in circles. Probably had been for quite some time, to his estimation.

It was well into the afternoon, with the sun passing through the sky at what seemed to be a fast pace.

"Nonsense, Tulio." The blond Spaniard replied with a laugh. "I'm positive that this is the right direction!"

"But this is the same tree we passed by earlier!" Tulio complained, pointed to a weeping willow whose branches bent so low into the river that ran next to them.

"I think you're just seeing things, _compadre_." The blond made his way past a thick overhang of leaves and vines off the same tree that Tulio had been talking about.

"Well, I'm not going to keep walking around in circles with a glorified donkey while you keep finding ways to lead us back to the way we started."

The horse that was Tulio's charge gave a derisive snort at the insult, glaring.

"If you want to take a rest from leading around Altivo, then hand the reigns over to me."

Grunting with annoyance, Tulio handed the reigns over to his friend. The white horse promptly stepped on his foot as it passed.

"OWWW!" Tulio cried, holding onto his booted foot. "Your horse is about to become our next meal if it does that again!"

"Relax, Tulio. I'm sure it was an accident." Miguel smiled, walking over to a dense cluster of bushes, scanning into the clearing beyond them.

Tulio let his foot go, gingerly testing it on the ground, and shared a look of venom with Altivo. That horse had caused them nothing but trouble since they had escaped Cortes' ship many moons ago.

Thinking back on their adventures, Tulio remembered his wonderment when him and Miguel had found El Dorado. It had truly been a marvelous sight! But the loss of so much gold when him, Miguel, and Chel had to block the entrance to El Dorado with their ship of gold had been the most painful thing to do...

It. Was. So. Much. Gold!

So much, in fact, that Tulio sometimes thought he saw gold horseshoes when Altivo walked. But he knew that this must have been a hallucination spurred by the loss.

As the temperamental, moody Spaniard followed after the blond, he was abruptly brought to a halt by a dark haired woman that swung in front of him from a tree branch. "Hey Tulio!"

"AAAHHH!" He fell on his butt, frightened from the sudden appearance of the woman.

She giggled, landing gracefully from her perch in the tree. "I didn't think you'd be that scared."

"Chel! Don't do that! What if I thought you were a snake or something? I could have-"

"What? Scream like a little girl?" The curvaceous woman teased, brushing dirt from her long skirt.

Miguel ran over to see what was the matter, having heard Tulio's high pitched scream.

"Oh... Did Chel give you a scare again?" He held out a hand to the dark haired man.

"Pffft. No... I was merely taking a rest, that's all." Tulio said stubbornly. "All this walking has me tired out."

Chel rolled her chocolate eyes, shaking her head.

_A/N: So! Another day, another fanfic! Hope you guys like this one! :) More to come soon..._


	2. Optimism And Ambushes

-Fool's Gold

Paired Couple: MiguelXTulio/SLASH!/Lime

_A/N: Miguel, Chel, Altivo, and Tulio do not belong to me, they belong to Dreamworks. So on and so forth..._

Miguel walked over to a dense cover of leaves and foliage, taking the lead along the faint trail ahead. Tulio, Chel, and Altivo followed after him, albeit Tulio looking around the forest in distrust. Somehow, his best friend always got them in some kind of trouble by being too curious or too adventurous. Or being just too... _Miguel_!

As the blond brushed past some overhanging vines, he gave a startled cry. "TULIO-!"

The paranoid, raven haired Spaniard rushed over to his friend, wielding a long branch like a sword. He ran head-first through the tangle of plants, swinging madly. "Come on out, you _malinchistas_! I have a... uh... deadly weapon and am not afraid to use it!"

He swung at nothing but air as he looked upon a clearing. Rather annoyed, he narrowed his eyes over his shoulder at Miguel. The blond shrugged helplessly, a guilty grin on his face.

"I was going to tell you that I found the perfect spot to set up camp." He explained.

Tulio threw the stick down, making his way over to the stream that crossed the clearing. It was a picturesque little spot in the forest. The grass was soft, the small stream held some fresh-water fish, many kinds of fruits filled the branches of some of the trees, and sunlight filtered through the thin canopy. Altivo rushed in between Chel and Miguel, excited to drink some of the plentiful water.

"ALTIVO! STOP! W-WHOOOOAA!"

In the horse's maddening gallop, he managed to shove Tulio into the water with a loud splash. Miguel and Chel could do nothing but cringe. When Tulio resurfaced, they saw a fish wag its tail from his mouth. The native woman leaped over a boulder and helped him to his feet as he spat the fish out.

"Damn it, Altivo!" He yelled at the war horse, who was busy sating his thirst. He started wringing his clothes out from the water.

Miguel walked over towards the others, giving a gentle smile. "You okay?"

"Yea, I'm okay. I'm just wet."

"You could always take your clothes off and dry them over some branches." Chel suggested, pointing to the trees near the stream.

Tulio suddenly grinned, leering at her. "And what will I do without my clothes... go naked?"

She shrugged, purposefully misinterpreting his intention with an innocent smile. "Take a bath while your clothes dry. You haven't been smelling the best lately."

He frowned and lifted an arm to smell himself in disbelief as she walked over to the other side of the clearing, making sure to not have the best view of the stream.

"I could use a bath myself." Miguel stated, taking his red shirt off and tossing it to the ground.

Tulio shook his head, took off his clothes, and settled them on the branches like Chel suggested, not noticing that the blond man had sneaked a peek at him behind his back.

Later on, when Tulio and Miguel were bathed and clothed properly, the sun was well below the horizon as the moon rode into the sky. Miguel had gathered some branches before the light had faded and Tulio lit the fire that would sustain the four of them for the night with warmth.

Chel had caught the fish that cooked over the small fire after a disastrous result of both the men trying to catch the fish with their bare hands. She had simply taken the branch that Tulio had thrown to the ground earlier and plunged it straight into the stream, spearing the first fish, much to their surprise. From there, she had caught two more, laid the carcasses on a flat rock near the fire, and gutted and scaled them with a small, sharp stone.

As the meat cooked, Tulio laid back against a tree and looked up at the stars.

"Do you think we'll find Tollan?" Miguel asked out of nowhere.

"Of course we'll find it," Tulio said, "we found El Dorado, didn't we?"

"Well, yea..."

"It shouldn't be a problem then, should it?"

Miguel contemplated for a moment. "Hey," he turned to Chel, "Is there a possible way that you might know where Tollan is? I mean, you do live here..."

Chel shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Chief Tannabok never let anyone outside of the city unless they were a hunter. I don't think I've ever heard of this city before." She flipped the fish steaks on the rock that sat within the fire.

"I see..." The blond said in disappointment.

"Why are you so worried about not finding this place anyway, _amigo_?" Tulio asked, being the optimistic one for once. "El Dorado was considered a myth, and yet we found it! Tollan will be the exact same scenario."

"I do hope so."

The raven haired Spaniard clapped a hand on his best friend's shoulder in comfort. Miguel looked at him with smiling green eyes, his heart pounding a fierce rhythm.

A rough hand jerked Miguel out of bed that night, a crude spear pointing at his face.

"Wha-"

He was shoved upright and pushed against a tree and had his hands bound behind his back before he had fully opened his eyes.

Miguel could hear the startled cries of Chel and Tulio being treated much in the same manner. Their captors shouted in a foreign tongue, sounding harsh and menacing to his ears. The ten figures that had ambushed them while they had been sleeping looked like some of the citizens from El Dorado.

However, the blond Spaniard knew that that was unlikely.

Although these warriors had the same brown chestnut skin and black hair, they looked wild and unkept. Their hair hung in long, lank ropes and their eyes held a desperate, almost crazed light. Their clothing was torn animal skin loincloths that reeked of dried mud, sweat, and blood while bone necklaces-with slivers of decaying meat still clinging onto them-graced their shoulders. Each man carried sharp spears or wooden staves, all weapons facing the trio.

Miguel turned his focus to Altivo, hoping that the war horse would at least kick a couple of the natives to the ground and save them.

No such luck. Altivo laid on his side, his legs and muzzle firmly bound by thick ropes. Perhaps the horse was the warriors' main priority to tie up when they had stumbled upon the group. Altivo would have whinnied in alarm, causing the friends to wake up.

"What the Hell are you-" began Tulio, just before one of the natives shoved a rope in his mouth. "-foing? Weh fifn'f fo anyfing!"

"Chel! Can you talk to them? Convince them to let us go!" Miguel cried to her desperately, just before another warrior had stuffed rope into his mouth as well.

She looked as if she were about to say something, but was cut short by her own gag.

It looked as if things couldn't be any more bleak.

They were all led to the middle of a ramshackle village after a long, ten mile trek through the jungle. Tulio looked as if he were going to pass out from the intense heat and non-stop voyage. But a wooden stave poked him in the ribs to prevent the raven-haired Spaniard from dropping to the ground.

He growled half-heartedly through the bitter-tasting fibers of the rope.

Miguel shook from exhaustion, warm sweat pooling down his back. It was a slight reprieve, but without wind to cool it, the sweat did little to his body temperature. He had been sure that he was going to die a mile back from heat-stroke.

Chel didn't look any better. The woman was also gasping for air from the intense heat, despite being born on this land and being used to this climate.

Their journey had been a pressed march that left the companions sore, short of breath, and dehydrated. Now, it looked like they were being lead to their impending death.

The small village consisted of huts made of sun-dried, thick mud and woven tree branches. Skulls of small animals and what appeared to be humans hung like beads on ropes from six-foot stakes that pierced the ground at random intervals among the village. A giant circle of stones and burned wood in the middle of the huts marked it as the communal fire, measuring in at five feet in diameter. No fire graced the blackened branches in the fire pit.

A gentle light permeated the foliage overhead, signaling the early morning hours.

Behind the three captives, five of the warriors had Altivo hanging from a huge and heavy wooden beam like a fresh kill ready to be cooked over a fire. Miguel hoped that that wasn't their intention.

One of the warriors that had kept a trained spear on Chel broke off from the group and ran to the nearest hut, pushing aside the animal skin that covered the entrance. Not one of these haggard natives had spoken to their captives or each other throughout the entire ordeal of bringing them here to this desolate village. But now, they muttered amongst each other in a foreign tongue that none of the captives could understand. It was raspy and guttural, making the hairs on the back of Tulio's and Miguel's necks stand on end.

Although Tulio would never admit it.

_A/N: YAY for a long chapter! WOO! What will the friends find next? Only the next chapter will tell..._


	3. Revu Jhezkekl

-Fool's Gold

Paired Couple: MiguelXTulio/SLASH!/Lime

_A/N: Miguel, Chel, Altivo, and Tulio do not belong to me, they belong to Dreamworks. So on and so forth..._

As the friends stood there, waiting for who-knows-what, an imposing figure burst from the hut that one warrior had run to. From head-to-toe, this man was solid muscle. He stood a clear foot over the other men and the three adventurers, wearing numerous pieces of jewelry made from bones. His face was painted in the likeness of a skull, wore a hand-stitched cape and matching loincloth made of numerous skins of jaguars and coyotes, and the top half of a skull from a jaguar sat astride his scalp. His hair was dirty and lank, like the rest of the warriors and villagers around him, but held a keen intelligence in his eyes. His jaw was angular and his teeth stuck out in odd angles, further adding to his grotesque, savage likeness. Miguel, Tulio, and Chel could only hope that he spoke Chel's dialect, not liking their situation every second as time passed.

The head tribesman-for that's what they supposed he was-walked over to the assembled group and looked over Miguel, who was the closest to him, like a buyer would look over a horse for auction. The tall, broad man even fisted a handful of blond hair and sniffed it, his brow creased forward menacingly. The action caused Miguel to whimper in pain.

Tulio struggled against his bonds, angry that anyone would dare hurt his friend.

The man let the blond Spaniard go and walked over to stand in front of Chel. With little effort, and even less emotion, he tore the gag from her mouth.

The imposing leader of the village spoke rapidly before Chel had a chance to say anything, speaking in a fluid dialect that resembled lots of vowels rather than consonances. Neither Miguel or Tulio could make heads or tails of what he was saying. Surprised, Chel spoke back to him in the same language, if somewhat timidly.

The man scowled and backhanded her face, yelling foreign words in a mixture of outrage and disbelief. Tears, that neither the raven haired or blond man had ever seen come from the El Dorado woman, welled up in her eyes.

When they thought that the native man was going to say some more to her, he turned to the both of them and ripped the gags from their mouths.

The process stung the inside of Tulio's mouth, causing him to curse in pain, "Oww! Fuck! The least you could do was gently take it out, _asno, _not take my tongue with it!"

"Silence!"

Both of them were stunned speechless. They had thought the small community had consisted of people unable to understand them.

"I am Revu-Jhezkekl and this is my village of the Terbokneylznyath!" At this proclamation, all of the warriors and villagers whooped and shouted with zealous pride. Chel gasped, her eyes growing wide. "You three have breached our borders... It is time you pay the price for such insolence."

Miguel shouted desperately, "Whoa whoa whoa! Wait just a minute here, _compadre_! We did not know that the clearing was your territory!"

"Foolish!" Revu boomed loudly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Everyone knows of our land and our name!"

"That may be so, but we're not from this land!" Tulio interjected.

"Oh?" Asked the lead tribesman in a disbelieving tone. "Then where are you from?"

"We are the Gods sent from Xibalba!"

If the warriors and villagers were interested, they didn't show it. Revu remained unimpressed.

"Well, it seems that we shall be having a fine feast this evening..." Revu finally said over his shoulder, in which the natives began whispering excitedly.

Tulio smiled, relieved. "Well, if we are to be your guests of honor, I would appreciate it if you were to remove these restraints. Being bound in a mortal body, after all, does hinder ones godly powers to some extent." Miguel nodded his accord eagerly.

Revu-Jhezkekl grinned, then laughed heartily. The two Spaniards joined in the laughing, believing all had worked out, despite Chel looking scared beyond her wits and wrestling with the ropes around her wrists.

"Guests of honor?" Revu shook his head, the skull of the jaguar on his head staring at them. "No, my exalted ones, you shall be the main course this evening!"

"Uhh... Beg pardon?" The raven haired man asked, hoping he heard wrong.

Revu puffed out his chest a bit and declared in his most formal voice, "We are the Terbokneylznyath..."

Miguel's heart sank, pounding a rhythm of inevitable doom in his veins.

"...the God Eaters!"

_A/N: Oh the joys of cannibalism! Gruesome sight, no? R&R as always! More to come..._


	4. A Really Big Rock

-Fool's Gold

Paired Couple: MiguelXTulio/SLASH!/Lime

_A/N: Miguel, Chel, Altivo, and Tulio do not belong to me, they belong to Dreamworks. So on and so forth... Don't like what you're going to read here? Get the FUCK OUT! For the rest, enjoy! :)_

"We're in for it now, aren't we, Tulio?" Miguel asked his companion with terror.

Tulio stared straight ahead with a frightened expression, looking like he was about to be sick. He nodded, "Yes we are, Miguel."

"...What did you say we were gods for?"

"I don't know! I didn't think they would eat us! I didn't see you coming up with any bright ideas!"

"Oh, that's real mature, because you're always right, aren't you?" Miguel yelled back sarcastically. "While you're at it, being mature and all, why don't you come up with _another_ brilliant plan of yours? Oh wait, I forgot, your brightest idea yet is getting us eaten alive!"

The both of them started to nudge each other with their elbows, for that was the best they could do, until a warrior poked each of them in their ribs with the butt of a spear.

~/~/~/~/~/~/

A little ways off from the prisoners, Altivo had finally been untied from the pole that he had been lashed to, and was led to the far side of the village and tied to a tree, probably for the sake of using the horse for hard labor later. Altivo hadn't put up a fight, so the warriors didn't give him too much trouble. The horse knew that his masters were in danger, as it seemed that they were being led over to the fire pit as it was being prepared for a fire.

Although Altivo couldn't know that his masters were going to be eaten alive, the horse knew enough when to spot danger. As the natives drew away to deal with the "gods", the war horse tugged at the rope that held him in place. He noticed that the rope was starting to fray against the rough bark of the tree when he tugged it at a certain angle.

Hoping to not draw attention, the clever horse pulled at his restraint and rubbed it against the branch of the tree, cutting it little by little.

~/~/~/~/~/~/

"Oww! Stop poking me with that stupid thing, _puto_!" Tulio spat at the warrior that nudged him towards the fire pit with his spear. The raven haired Spaniard turned towards Revu, putting as much bravado in his stance as much as he could as he said, "I demand that you not eat us, for fear of my divine wrath!"

Revu chuckled darkly. "You think you could harm me in that frail body of yours, O Divine One? You're stuck in that mortal body, therefore you can not touch me! And we are the God Eaters, after all. We do not pay homage to any god! We eat them in order to gain divine power!"

"Makes me wonder what other 'gods' he's eaten," Chel muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes, despite her mounting fear.

Miguel looked to her and asked aloud, "Revu! If you're going to eat us gods, then why are you eating her for?" He indicated to Chel with a tilt of his head. "She's not a god, and therefore, it wouldn't serve any purpose to eat her."

The chieftain considered the question, scratching at his chin with a look of concentration in his muddy brown eyes. Finally, he shrugged. "What's it to us?" He indicated to a couple of warriors that weren't herding the three amigos. "Go fetch some wood to prepare the fire. Today, we feast!"

As two of them headed off farther into the village, an audible whinny and the gallop of hooves pierced the silence. The two warriors that had left came sprinting back, screaming all the while, as a white war horse charged furiously after them.

Miguel gave a joyous shout. "GO ALTIVOOOO!"

The war horse charged down every tribesman that stood in his path, sending some flying into huts or tripping over pottery and bones.

During the distraction that the horse had caused, Tulio pulled a crude knife that stuck out from Revu's loincloth and cut his hands free. Revu recovered from the distraction and went racing after the Spaniard, who had ran in the opposite direction as the other two.

Chel jumped up into the air expertly and kicked one guard in the face, knocking him out cold before he could use his spear on her. The other two warriors around Miguel began to spear at him, while the blond ducked and dodged the attacks, backing up all the while. Just as his back touched the wall of a hut, the two menacing guards closed in on him, baring triumphant smiles, as they lifted their spears for the kill...

...and fell over in a pile at his feet.

"What-?"

Chel stood above them, smiling, while bouncing a rather large rock in her hand. The rope that restrained her wrists was on the ground next to the spear that the first gaurd had been carrying.

"These guys may be tough, but I doubt they have that thick of skulls." She remarked casually.

_A/N: Head smashing! What joyous fun! Next chapter soon to come... Warning you now, it's a sad one... :(_


	5. Altivo's Sacrifice

-Fool's Gold

Paired Couple: MiguelXTulio/SLASH!/Lime

_A/N: Miguel, Chel, Altivo, and Tulio do not belong to me, they belong to Dreamworks. So on and so forth... Don't like what you're going to read here? Too freaking bad! It's here to stay and there's nothing you can do about it! Hee hee hee... But we all know you secretly like it. :P_

Tulio hopped and dodged many obstacles along his path, keeping his eyes locked on the enraged chieftain of the Terbokneylznyath. He swung his spear left and right, trying as hard as he might to catch the Spaniard with the deadly tip of his weapon. The dark haired man ran around the perimeter of the village, weaving between the villagers and warriors as they were being chased down by the white war horse. As Altivo came charging down the opposite direction as him, Tulio jumped and luckily landed on the animal's back, escaping Revu-Jhezkekl's pursuit.

Before he managed to get ten feet away from the chieftain, however, Revu had managed to lance his spear into Tulio's side. Gasping in horrific pain, Tulio clutched at the wound with a hand, blood seeping out underneath his fingertips and staining his shirt. The pain seemed to be centering in his lower ribs.

Leaning low against Altivo's neck, they galloped swiftly along the ground, circling towards Miguel and Chel, whom had been surrounded by a couple of the warriors. The natives scattered when Altivo approached, not wanting to be trampled to death. Tulio stretched out a hand.

"Grab on!"

Grasping onto Miguel's hand, and in turn, Miguel pulling Chel along, all three amigos were situated on the horse and sped away from the village, a huge contingent of warriors and cannibalistic villagers trying to catch up with them.

About forty-five minutes later, when they had finally felt safe enough to have Altivo at an easy trot, they didn't spot any warriors following in their wake. They jumped from the horse's back, easing the burden on Altivo. When Tulio landed on his feet, he fell forward slightly, grunting in agony.

Someone put an arm around his shoulder. He unconsciously reached the hand with his own, holding it. He was surprised to find out it was Miguel's, expecting it to be Chel. She was on his other side, however, inspecting him.

"What's wrong, _amigo_?" Miguel gave him a worried look.

"Revu got me good back there in the ribs. It hurts like a bitch!" He gritted his teeth as Chel pulled at the fabric sticking to his wound.

"This doesn't look good, Tulio." She said. "We need to get you a medicinal herb right away or else it'll get infected. There's also a chance that the spear tip that hit you was poisoned."

"Well, what medicinal herbs are out here?" He asked irritably.

"I'll have to go look. There's one that was very prominent around El Dorado. I might be able to find it out here. It's common enough." With that, the petite woman hurried down the trail and into the depths of the forest.

Miguel lowered his friend down to the ground, taking off Tulio's vest so that he could place it under his head as a pillow. "You'll be okay, Tulio. Chel shouldn't be too long." He was nervous, noticing his friend's pale complexion and the sudden beads of sweat that formed on his brow.

"I know that, you spazz." He playfully shoved at the blond's shoulder, scoffing in his usual manner. "It's not like I'm dying or anything."

Hearing that made his best friend almost whimper. He gave a large, puppy-eyed stare at Tulio. The raven haired man rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Miguel. Stop it with the face. I'll be fine. It's just a scratch."

In fact, the wound was about an inch wide and a quarter inch deep. Miguel took off his belt and wrapped it tightly around his friend, making sure to pressurize the wound.

"Well, you're my best friend. I just don't want anything happening to you." Miguel said softly after he had tied off the belt.

Tulio gave a rare, gentle smile. "You are the best friend I've ever had. There are times where you drive me crazy, but you definitely make life interesting."

As his masters were talking, Altivo had noticed the snapping of a twig from high up in the branches. The horse looked up into the canopy, noticing a darkened shadow making its way closer to the two Spaniards along the ground. In a small sliver of light, the shadow pulled out a blow gun and a dart, fitting the deadly weapon into the tube, and setting one end to its mouth. The shadow took aim at the two friends below.

With a whinnying cry, Altivo jumped in front of Miguel and Tulio. Thinking the horse was crazed, they cringed, fearing a fatal impact. Instead, Altivo cried out and fell to the ground, a dart sticking out of his neck. The shadow up in the canopy above had disappeared.

In shock, both men looked over at Altivo. The horse laid still and unmoving...

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/

Chel walked back into camp, holding onto a plant that had little, ruby red star-shaped flowers on the ends, and noticed Miguel searching the tree tops, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"COME SHOW YOURSELVES, YOU COWARDS!"

She had never seen the sprightly blond so angry and upset before. That's when she saw the war horse on the ground, clearly dead. Tulio held onto Altivo, hugging the horse's face in his arms, weeping, "Altivo!"

"What happened?"

Miguel turned toward her, his eyes bloodshot. "They killed Altivo! They shot him with this dart." He held out the dart that had pierced Altivo's neck. She took it gingerly in her hands, examining it.

It was indeed a deadly, very toxic dart. Chel grabbed the blond Spaniard and said, "We have to leave here. They might come back to finish us off."

"Not until we bury Altivo." Miguel stated, his voice flat and uncompromising. He walked over to Tulio, who had stopped crying over the horse but was still holding onto him.

"It's okay, Tulio. He knows that you cared about him."

"Yea..." The raven-haired man nodded, looking at him sadly.

Chel walked over to the two of them. She set the flowers on the ground and took a stone to grind the plant into pieces. In a matter of two minutes, she had a fine powder. Chel unwrapped the belt from Tulio's side and poured the powder onto his wound. He hissed in pain.

When she was done packing the herb into his wound, she bound the belt around him again and helped him to his feet.

Miguel had found several large rocks to dig into the earth, and began to dig a hole. The other two joined him, although Tulio tried hard not to jostle his wound. When late afternoon was beginning to bleed into nightfall, they had dug a large enough hole for Altivo to lay in. Miguel and Chel lowered him inside the hole.

Rain began to fall from above, lightly showering them and adding to the depressing atmosphere.

"We will always remember Altivo. He was more than just a horse. He was a friend and loyal companion to us all. We shall not forget his sacrifice, nor the courage it took to protect us. Altivo has won us this day. We shall not forget his name, nor what he meant to us. We can only hope now that he is at peace." Tulio said somberly. "We will miss you, _Altivo el Fuerte_."

Moments later, the three amigos walked away from the freshly buried grave, headed down the road and hopefully toward a safe place to rest for the night.

_A/N: Hopefully the next chapter will be a fresh breather for you all! Sorry for any tears I've caused over this chapter. It wasn't easy for me either, but the death was necessary. R&R as always and stay tuned..._


	6. Concerns With Friendship

-Fool's Gold

Paired Couple: MiguelXTulio/SLASH!/Lime

_A/N: Miguel, Chel, Altivo, and Tulio do not belong to me, they belong to Dreamworks. So on and so forth... Happy Holidays to you all! _

The next morning found the three of them looking to an early sunrise peeking through the trees. Without what little supplies they had before they were captured, Miguel, Tulio, and Chel left the campsite and headed in the opposite direction than that of the village of the cannibals. After two hours, it seemed that the blond had lost all heart in their search for Tollan, however, and lagged behind the other two. Perhaps this was all just a lost cause. Looking for El Dorado had been easy, since they had a map to go by. But now, without any sort of direction, he was sure that they had no hope of finding Tollan. Even more so, a member of their meager band had died to protect them. Who else would be dead next if they kept with the search?

"Hey, guys, let's stop for a bit." He called to them.

Chel and Tulio turned around, giving him curious glances.

"What's wrong, Miguel? Are you wanting to rest a bit?" Chel asked.

Miguel looked down at the dirt, thinking really hard on how to say what he was thinking. He licked his lips a couple of times, uncertain if he'd be able to get the words out properly, if at all.

"You okay, _amigo_?"

The blond Spaniard grabbed onto the raven-haired man's hand on his shoulder. With those dark blue eyes looking into his emerald irises in concern, he began to choke up. They had come so far in their adventure. He knew that Tulio would be upset to give it up now. But his fear for his friends gnawed at his mind since last night, rendering him to restless nightmares of ocelots and cougars chancing upon the band and killing Tulio and Chel mercilessly.

"I-I don't think we should continue on. We should turn back to El Dorado..."

Tulio's eyes widened in surprise.

"Turn back?" Chel interjected. "But why? We have come this far! The least we could do is carry on-"

Tulio shook Miguel's shoulders. "Miguel, what are you saying? This adventure was as much your dream as it was mine and Chel's. You can't turn back now!"

"Look Tulio! Someone is already dead because of this madcap adventure!" The usually cheerful blond yelled back. "It's become too risky!"

"Risky? You knew that from the moment we stole that map back in Spain to get to El Dorado! You knew the dangers and consequences that could and would inevitably arise from all of this! _Maldita sea_, Miguel!"

Miguel stood there in silence, unwavering, as his best friend raged on with his back turned to him. Then, Tulio narrowed his eyes on him over his shoulder, thinking about how all the events from leaving Spain lead up to this moment.

"...You!"

"Me? Me what?"

"This is your fault!" Tulio screamed. "You wanted that damned map so badly, so we won it-"

"Cheated, actually." Miguel corrected.

"Whatever! We got the map to El Dorado, even though I didn't even want to go on that adventure! Then, we were kidnapped by Cortes and his men on their way over here after being stuck in barrels for who knows how long-also compliments to you! Then, when we escaped with Altivo, who you inadvertently invited along, we crash landed on the beach and you wanted to go and find El Dorado!"

"I didn't see you object! Especially when we found the city!" Miguel raged back. "And we didn't 'crash land' on the beach-we softly landed upon it."

Chel ran towards the two men and stood between them with arms outstretched as soon as the raven haired Spaniard stomped towards his friend, looking ready to brawl.

"Stop it, both of you!"

"Why should I, Chel? After all, it's _my_ fault that we're in this mess right now! It was all _my_ fault that Altivo died! Isn't that right, Tulio? Is that what you wanted to hear, _compadre_?"

"Yes! Because it's _ always your FAULT_!"

Just as Miguel lunged over the native woman's left arm, she grabbed his wrist and twisted it until he fell to the ground onto his knees, while in the meantime, she kicked Tulio in the stomach- which had left him doubled over in pain.

When their tempers were subdued, she finally addressed them. "You both are acting like such idiots right now!" Chel scolded. "Sure! We don't know where Tollan is and we possibly have a tribe of the Terbokneylznyath following after us! So what? Through all that we have been through, is it really worth this fight?"

Both men, although still very upset, looked down in shame, unwilling to admit just yet that she was right.

Miguel stood up, rubbing his bruised wrist. Tulio got up from kneeling on the ground, holding his gut, and looked into Miguel's green eyes. What he found there was apology.

"I'm-"

"-sorry-"

"I-"

"-shouldn't-"

"-have said those things..."

"-have blamed you..."

They both trailed off, feeling foolish. They gave each other shy smiles and embraced momentarily.

"I really am sorry. I'm a horrible friend."

"No, you're not, Miguel. You're the best friend I could ever have. There's nothing I would do to change that. Not for all the gold in the world, _amigo_." Tulio stepped out of the embrace and cuffed the blond playfully on the shoulder.

Chel smiled at the both of them, shaking her head. "See? You two were just being a couple of boneheads!" She slapped both of them on the backs of their heads as she walked ahead of them. "So are we going to find Tollan, or what?"

With her back turned, Tulio looked over at Miguel and winked. Miguel grinned mischievously, knowing exactly what was to transpire and nodded back. Both men quietly stalked the petite woman that walked ahead of them. At the right moment, they ran toward her unsuspecting back and grabbed an end of her-Miguel holding onto her arms and Tulio holding onto her feet.

They ran with her in their arms, screaming, when they spotted a small pond and threw her in.

Too late, Chel had grabbed Miguel's shirt at the last second, and they both toppled into the water, splashing Tulio in the process.

_A/N: So, a little breather to take away the sting of Altivo's death... I know it was hard, but trust me, it was hard having to kill off a character. I do hope you forgive me... And without further ado, R&R and stay tuned! The next chapter will be what you've all been waiting for... :D_


	7. Nighttime Wonders

-Fool's Gold

Paired Couple: MiguelXTulio/SLASH!/Lime

_A/N: Miguel, Chel and Tulio do not belong to me, they belong to Dreamworks. So on and so forth..._

The three adventurers found themselves settling down that night after covering a lot of distance. Although they had no idea where they were headed, or much less where Tollan was located, they didn't let a little thing as direction get in the way of their determination. After having made up, and getting even on Chel, Miguel and Tulio had never been closer as two friends should.

Chel was just glad that they had stopped fighting.

As soon as the fire was set and the squirrels that Chel had caught earlier were roasting on the flames, all three friends sat back and enjoyed the usual night murmurs of the forest. In the small clearing they had chosen to make camp, they had a complete view of the night sky above them, with a quarter moon smiling down at them.

"It really is a nice night." Chel quietly said.

"Yea..." Both Tulio and Miguel replied simultaneously.

"So what direction should we head in the morning, guys? Any ideas?"

Tulio thought for a bit, tugging absently at his goatee. "Maybe that direction." He pointed to the South of the forest, randomly picking a direction.

The woman gave him a look. "That's the same direction we came from."

He shrugged and leaned back on his elbows. "Then the opposite it is."

They sat there for a time as Chel turned over the squirrel meat to cook. She looked up, her dark eyes pinning Miguel.

"Miguel?"

"Yea?"

"About earlier today... Why did you want to turn back to El Dorado?"

The blond Spaniard looked away for a second, even as his best friend gave him a quizzical look. He plucked a blade of grass from the ground next to his leg, thinking about what to say.

"I... I was afraid that either of you two would come to harm if we kept up with this venture... We had lost Altivo not too long ago and I just got so afraid that, perhaps, I was leading the way to our doom." He looked over at both of them, his eyes large and full of so much worry and fear. "I just don't know what I'd do if either of you were hurt or killed. I mean," He sighed, "losing Altivo is the hardest thing for all of us, but I don't think I could bear any more loss if either of you died. I just wanted to turn back to El Dorado, dig up the entrance from all those rocks, and just live there forever and not have to worry if we'll make it to see another sunrise."

Both Chel and Tulio started to say something, to reassure that his assessment was wrong and that he wasn't going to lose either of them, when a tear broke slowly down Miguel's cheek.

"I just hope that we make it to Tollan. I just hope we don't run into more trouble..." He gasped, his breathing uneven and shaky.

The raven-haired man walked over to him and sat down next to him. Putting a hand on his shoulder triggered an automatic response from Miguel, who immediately wrapped his arms around him in a tight, squeezing hug.

"Oh Miguel, stop it. None of us are going anywhere." Tulio said irritably.

"Promise?"

Tulio rolled his eyes. For Miguel's piece of mind, he said, "I promise."

~/~/~/~/~/

Later that night, when all three of them had laid down to bed, the fire burning low into glowing embers, Miguel laid wide awake. The blond was unable to sleep this night, wondering what the next day would bring. On a whim that was trademark of his character, Miguel turned over onto his other side and looked over at Tulio's back, who was seven feet away.

"Hey, Tulio. You awake?" He called out in a whisper.

Tulio grunted, but nothing more.

A little bit louder. "You awake, Tulio?"

"Wha-Yes, yes. I'm awake now," The irritated raven-haired man yawned. "What do you want?" He turned over to face him, wiping a hand over his face.

"I was just thinking... Remember when we were back in Spain? When we first met as kids?"

"You woke me up for this?"

"Please Tulio, humor me for once. Do you remember?"

Tulio scoffed. _Humor you for once? Try a billion times since I've known you._ "Yea. You were stealing your first loaf of bread and I covered for you when you hid in the door way to that one building behind me."

"Yea. You were a pretty good scam artist, from what I remember. By that time you were stealing all sorts of things. And lying. You were really good at it." He turned onto his back to look up at the stars and smiled. "I remember that you completely fooled the guard that was chasing me, saying that I jumped into the ocean over by the docks."

"Yea," Tulio began to laugh. "And he stupidly ran over to the docks and jumped in to find you! The look on his face when he-hahaha-saw us look down at him from the docks! He-hahaha-was so pissed!"

"Hahahaha! We got away with it too!" Miguel wiped a tear of mirth from his eyes.

"He looked for us for hours!"

"Well he didn't think to check the fish monger's stand!"

The two friends laughed hard, their sides aching from remembering their early shenanigans when they were young. Calming at last, they sat there, looking up at the night sky.

"You know," Miguel began, "I really admired you when we first met. You were like a vigilante; a hero to me. That's why I stole that bread. I wanted to prove to myself that I could be as daring and cunning as you."

"Well, you seemed to have proven yourself very well. You're a very successful conman." Tulio smiled over at him.

"...Tulio?"

"Miguel?"

"...I'm glad you're my friend."

"...Me too.

As Tulio closed his eyes, ready to finally fall back to sleep, he didn't anticipate the warm lips that suddenly touched his. Reopening his eyes, he found the blond Spaniard straddling him. The warm body that pressed into his felt familiar and... right? The mere thought sped through his mind in a second as the kiss deepened.

Although the initial shock of the kiss had startled him, he couldn't stop it even if he wanted to.

He did want it... didn't he?

Miguel parted lips with him and breathed slowly, as Tulio could feel his heart thumping hard against his own.

"Oh Tulio," He sighed, "I've waited for so long..."

_A/N: …:) YAY FOR ACTION! LMAO! R&R as always..._


	8. Doubts And Relaxation

-Fool's Gold

Paired Couple: MiguelXTulio/SLASH!/Lime

_A/N: Miguel, Chel and Tulio do not belong to me, they belong to Dreamworks. So on and so forth..._

Tulio pushed up from the ground in a state of shock. "You've waited?"

Miguel averted his gaze, embarrassed. This wasn't going as perfectly as the blond had hoped. He didn't know how to respond to his partner's baffled question.

"Waited for how long? How long have you had these... _feelings_?"

The blond turned an innocent stare up at the raven-haired Spaniard, "For... a long while now..."

"Exactly how long, Miguel?" Tulio reiterated.

"...Remember when we had escaped Cortes' ship?" Miguel asked softly. "And we eventually found ourselves floating along at sea, thinking we were never going to find an escape, just before we landed?"

"Yea..."

~/~/~/~/

"_Well, if it's any consolation, Miguel, you... made my life... an adventure..."_

"_And if it's any consolation, Tulio, you made my life... rich..."_

~/~/~/~/

"Well, I had... realized... that if we were to have died out at sea, I would have been okay with perishing, so long as... you were... by my side."

The memory finally clicked into place. And because he remembered the words that were exchanged that day, Tulio realized that Miguel spoke the truth. From that moment on, it had seemed the blond became closer to him than ever. Tulio couldn't believe how blind he had been to Miguel's obvious attraction to him. Even when he had found out that Miguel was angry with him while Tzekel-Kan had pitted them against each other, Tulio had never really questioned why he was angry to begin with-he just got angry right back at him.

It all made sense.

And now, really thinking back on it, the raven-haired man felt regretful. When him and Chel got together, he had dismissed Miguel entirely. The blond probably had heard what was said... It made his guilt expand ten-fold.

"So... when you were angry at me and we had planned on going our separate ways... back in El Dorado... was it because you listened in on me and Chel talking?" It was hard to look into his eyes when he asked.

"...Yes, I did."

"Miguel, I'm very sorry. You know I didn't mean any of those things now, don't you?" He looked up, desperately hoping that the spazzy blond had forgiven him.

"I know. I already forgave you when we blocked the entrance to El Dorado, _amigo_. Don't worry about it." Miguel smiled. "It's all behind us."

After a moment of silence, both men laid back down on the dirt next to each other, unsure of what to say next.

Of course, the blond broke the silence first. "So... what happens now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know my... feelings... now." He said awkwardly.

Tulio chewed on his lower lip, thinking. "Yea..."

"So...?"

"What do I think?"

"...Yea..."

"Well, to be honest, I'm..."

Miguel unconsciously held in his breath, uncertain of what response he was waiting for, or whether he wanted to hear a response. The suspense was killing him nonetheless.

Tulio sat up on his elbows. "I... Uhh..."

Heartbeats sounded as loud as drums, but could be heard no louder than listening to the gentle wind.

"...Yes, Tulio?"

Tulio leaned down, a hair's breadth away from Miguel, looked deep into his eyes for a fraction of a second... and kissed him hard.

~/~/~/~/

"_Finally..."_

Chel always knew that something was between her two friends, even from the first day she met them while they pretended to be gods back in El Dorado. Something within her unconsciously knew that this was to be expected. Granted, she had had her heart-or, perhaps, carnal desires-set on Tulio, but after all, they weren't the only con-men around. She figured that once they found Tollan, loaded up on the spoils, and headed back to this strange land called "Spain", she would most likely take her share and split to explore their homeland.

She had laid there all night, trying to fall asleep, but Chel figured there was a reason that she couldn't. She had then listened in on Miguel's reminisces of home, the laughter they had shared, and finally, the confession-on both sides. She wasn't surprised. Neither was she upset by the revelation the two had experienced. They had their path; she had hers.

Chel curled onto her side near the dying embers of the fire, letting her eyelids close as she stifled a long awaited yawn.

It was just business.

~/~/~/~/

Dawn broke over the world, like a sprouting flower.

As Tulio opened his eyes by a fraction, he lazily smiled as he heard the distinct music of birds up above and the merry humming of what could only be Chel. He turned back over onto his side and buried his face deep into Miguel's shoulder, feeling lighter than air, as he nestled close to the blond in his arms...

"Oh _MIERDA_!" Tulio jumped up from the ground, jostling the sleeping blond awake.

"Are you okay, Tulio?" The blond Spaniard asked of him, albeit groggily.

He jumped, startled. "I-Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be?" A shaky laugh punctuated the awkward moment.

Chel looked over her shoulder as she tended the small fire, giving him a smile. "Are you sure? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"I did! Just had a...uh...bad dream is all! Just now!"

Miguel got up from the ground, stretching as he went, pulling off his red shirt from his shoulders so he could somewhat cool off from the suffocating heat of the jungle.

"A bad dream, huh?" Miguel chuckled, his eyelids half mast. "Well, we could take a bath to wake us up a little."

The intention behind the seemingly harmless suggestion wasn't lost to the raven-haired man.

"Yea, and you two could catch breakfast while you're at it." Chel said, picking berries from a bush ten feet away and depositing them onto a large leaf that she had picked up.

"O-Oh. Well, that's-that's quite alright. I can probably use a bath some other time-"

Miguel grabbed his hand eagerly and pulled him along towards the pond they had found the day before. "C'mon, Tulio, don't be such a stick in the mud!"

Without any choice in the matter, Tulio let Miguel pull him off a little farther into the trees in search of the pond, unsure of how he was going to get himself out of this mess.

Sure, he liked Chel on the one hand, but coming to terms with his deeply hidden attraction to Miguel was a liberating experience for both him and his best friend. He just wasn't sure how he was going to break it to Chel.

Tulio and Chel had done countless and numerous things while they had all still been in El Dorado. How was she going to take this news of him and Miguel being together? Would she forgive him? How would he know if she just wouldn't disappear off into the forest as soon as she found out about them? His over-worried mind couldn't take the what-ifs.

He felt bad that he had betrayed her in favor of this crazy blond that was pulling him along to who-knows-where in the heart of this strange land... and pushing his way into his heart with every second... That mischievous smile of Miguel's always seemed to unknowingly tug at his heart...

Tulio was quite aware of the affect it had on him now.

Moments later, after turning this way and that, they stumbled upon the body of water. The blond squeezed his hand and smiled over at him before letting go. Seeing as he left his shirt back at camp, which was about ten minutes away, Miguel undid his beige pants, kicked off his shoes, and cannon-balled into the water.

As soon as he resurfaced, brushing his hair from his face, he smiled good-naturedly as Tulio wrung out his shirt from excess water that had hit him.

"So... Are you going to join me, or not?" Miguel slyly smirked.

He tried hard not to laugh as Tulio threw him a signature scowl.

Seeing the mirth glittering innocently from those green eyes, Tulio could do nothing but resign with a sigh, undress, and jump in after him.

He would just have to think about the what-ifs later. 

_A/N: Still plenty more to come! YAY for a fluffy chapter! Just wanted something fun and cute to write, since I seem to be in this serious/dark kick lately for writing my stories. R&R as always!_


	9. A Simple Misunderstanding

-Fool's Gold

Paired Couple: MiguelXTulio/SLASH!/Lime

_A/N: Miguel, Chel and Tulio do not belong to me, they belong to Dreamworks. So on and so forth..._

Tulio reached the pond and stuck a bare toe into the water to test its warmth. Satisfied with the temperature, he undid his trousers and threw off his shirt, comfortable in the knowledge that Chel was still back at camp. Someday, the dark haired Spaniard would have to decide with himself on who he'd rather be with. The sultry El Dorado woman or his spazzy, yet sexy partner? His new-found feelings for Miguel were more than superficial, that was for sure. He never went through with things without a plan.

...Then again, the result of the two of them discovering and indulging their feelings for each other did end up being a spontaneous occurrence.

He found and sat down on a boulder in the pond, making sure his bare rear didn't sit on a jagged edge. After adjusting himself to the water, he looked over at the blond, who had been floating around on his back while gently paddling himself around with his arms stretched above his head. Miguel had a serene grin on his face.

"What's up with you?" Tulio asked.

"Just enjoying nature."

"...We're in nature every day, Miguel."

"It doesn't mean one can't enjoy it whenever they feel like it."

Tulio looked down at the water and shook his head, smiling a bit. He'd probably never figure out what made Miguel such a naturally happy person.

"So what do you think-HEY!" Just as Tulio was about to say something, he was bombarded with a large splash of water, followed with boisterous laughter.

"Catch me if you can, _perezoso_!"

With water still dripping down his face, Tulio pushed away the locks of black hair from his sapphire eyes and chased after the mischievous Miguel, who persistently splashed him again and again as he waded out of arms reach. After a particular splash that momentarily blinded Tulio, Miguel stopped his vigorous splashing and looked around, finding that Tulio had disappeared from sight.

"Ummm...Tulio?"

Suddenly, his feet were dragged out from underneath him. Seconds later, sputtering and gasping for air, Miguel broke the surface and found Tulio standing above him, laughing hard.

"You should have seen your face!"

Miguel broke in laughter with him, getting unsteadily to his feet. Slipping, Tulio grabbed onto Miguel's forearm, but it wasn't enough to break his momentum. They both fell down into the water.

The two got back up to their feet. Tulio looked into those bright green eyes, smiling wide. Seeing that goofy grin on Miguel's face made him want to keep seeing it there, no matter what. He never, ever wanted it to stop.

He leaned down to kiss him, only to find the blond meeting him half-way.

They passionately held their kiss for a long moment, savoring in each other's unique tastes and gently locking their tongues in ceaseless wanton. Tulio cupped Miguel's face in his hands, holding him there betwixt a storm of carnality and ecstasy. They devoured one another, unable to breathe-unable to sate their growing addiction. Miguel moaned into his mouth, enjoying this new level of desire.

Tulio's heart pounded furiously, the maddening rush of his blood through his veins making him feel light-headed. He could have never imagined before sharing this type of affection with his partner; his best friend. A week ago, he would have thought this scenario as downright bizarre if someone would have told him what was to happen. He would have questioned their sanity.

But here and now, if this was indeed madness, Tulio wanted to stay incurably insane.

His breath hitched and his heart skipped a beat when he felt hands brushing the sensitive skin along his thighs. He opened his eyes and parted the kiss to a leering Miguel pawing at him.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" The soft, insatiable purr of his voice sent shivers along Tulio's spine.

Although, as tempting as it was to let Miguel take the reigns on this, as it were, Tulio's dominating nature took hold and he spun the blond around in his arms, pressing his back against him instead.

It did little to quell the desire within him.

While his hands roamed Miguel's chest, arms, and abdomen from behind, he gently nibbled on his neck and shoulder, causing the light-haired Spaniard to hiss with pleasure.

"Ahh... Tulio..."

He bit harder. Just hearing him moan his name was enough to drive Tulio wild. He licked a single, trailing water drop from his earlobe to his collar bone. He could feel Miguel's heartbeat doing somersaults within his chest. Tulio stopped momentarily when he felt a warm hand wrap around his already pulsating member. Miguel gave him a lascivious grin, one eyebrow raised.

Looking into those emerald eyes, Tulio knew he was in paradise.

They shared a passionate kiss over Miguel's shoulder, while their hands explored each other. Miguel leaned into him and felt hands at his hips with gentle, caressing fingers. He let go of Tulio's hardened shaft, only to reach up and pull those raven locks out of their usual ponytail. He had wanted to do this for ages and couldn't believe he was able to do so now. The wet strands fell, cascading over his lover's chest and shoulders. Although he wasn't from Xibalba, it wasn't any wonder why the people of El Dorado thought this dark-haired Spaniard was a god.

He gasped suddenly when Tulio's hands had left his hips, only to trail lower and encircle his length. That rough, callused hand pumped him into near bliss within seconds.

"...Miguel..."

From there, the minutes melted by in erotic vagueness. Teeth... tongues... caresses... strokes... It was more than either of them could bear.

Without warning, Tulio grabbed Miguel by the arms, pulling him up from kneeling in front of him. Although that devilishly quick tongue did wonders, and Tulio wouldn't have minded letting the blond keep going, he wanted to experience that final release with his best friend; his lover...

He lead them to the shallow end of the pond. Miguel laid back against the ground, a gentle smile gracing his lips as he watched Tulio approach him on his hands and knees. He grabbed a hold of Miguel's legs and propped them onto his shoulders, lining himself up to penetrate.

With one small look into his blue eyes, the fair-haired man nodded, holding onto his lover's forearms in preparation for a new kind of adventure.

"_Mi amor..."_

"_...Te quiero..."_

~/~/~/~/

Miguel was getting fed-up! All day, Tulio had been ignoring him, avoiding eye contact, and would flinch away from any kind of physical contact since they had left camp hours ago. After what they had shared this morning, he figured that they would both get used to this kind of affection.

Apparently not. Tulio had become the world's biggest prude when they had walked back into camp from the pond. From that moment forward, Tulio devoted his attention to what Chel was doing, which was making crude spears from some branches she had gathered. Although Miguel had not thought much on it at first, he began to notice the sudden emotional shift when he had reached out to touch the dark haired Spaniard's shoulder, as he was looking over him at the weapons, when Tulio shrugged his hand off.

It wouldn't have been a big deal if Tulio had at least said more than one word to him since then.

He didn't know what had caused this sudden rift between them, but he was determined to get to the bottom of it. He was Miguel, after all! This blond would not be ignored!

They had walked about two and a half miles so far, Tulio keeping pace with the native woman and Miguel taking up the rear. He glared at that insufferable man's back, the gears in his head turning as he thought of a way to get his attention well and clear.

...Screw tactics!

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"WHAT THE FU-"

The blond crashed blindingly into the raven-haired Spaniard's back, causing them both to tumble into a nearby bush filled with thorns and non-edible leaves. Chel had prudently stepped out of the way in time, avoiding the horrific tackle into the painful underbrush.

"What are you doing, Miguel?" She asked, laughing lightly, as she was thinking that the spazz was only playing around.

"Getting this idiot's attention for once!" Miguel yelled amidst the wrestling limbs and tangling vines.

Chel stopped laughing, hearing the distinct anger in the usual happy vigor of Miguel's attitude. This was not going to be good...

"Ow!-I'm the idiot?-Ow!-You're the one who pushed us into a bed of thorns, you-Oh!-moron!" Tulio walked away from the underbrush at last, pulling out painful, quill-like thorns from his arms, legs, and backside.

"Well, if you would listen, I just said I was trying to get your stupidly short-sighted attention!-Ouch!" Miguel dislodged a thorn from his chin, following in pursuit.

"What are you even talking about?-Ouch!-You haven't been saying a word to me today!"

"That's because any time I ever try to, you ignore me-Oh!-or run away!"

"No I haven't!"

"Yes, Tulio, you have! And frankly, I'm getting sick of it already!" He pulled out a particularly long thorn from his shoulder blade, cursing wildly, before presuming his argument. "What happened to this morning, Tuls? We go from sharing a passionate moment-Ow!-to you-Ah!-instantly giving me the cold shoulder the rest of the day? Qué diablos te pasa? Es egoísta... hijo de puta... gallo tomadura de pelo-"

"Whoa whoa whoa! Miguel, what are you saying?" Tulio looked back at Chel fearfully. "It's not what you think, Chel-"

She sighed, already guessing what was going on. "I already know, Tulio."

Both men stopped mid-sentence. "You know?" They said at once.

"Yes! I already knew! I overheard you two talking last night."

"Why didn't you tell us that you already knew?" Tulio managed to ask at last.

"I didn't see the big deal in saying anything. You two had just come to this thing you have going on between you and I didn't see the point in making it awkward." She reasoned. "And now that it's all finally out in the open, I think you have some explaining to do with your boyfriend over there."

Tulio looked over his shoulder at the furious blond. He walked back over to him, eyes cast downward in apology. "Miguel... I'm so-"

"Spare yourself the trouble. It's not like any of it meant anything." Miguel brushed past him, colliding shoulders in a pointed reminder of his anger as he walked on ahead.

"...Shit."

~/~/~/~/

_N/A: So! This looks like it'll be one interesting ride... :D Stay tuned. You'll love what comes next... R&R like always!_


	10. Goodbye?

-Fool's Gold

Paired Couple: MiguelXTulio/SLASH!/Lime

_A/N: Miguel, Chel and Tulio do not belong to me, they belong to Dreamworks. So on and so forth..._

Miguel walked off into the forest, not caring what Tulio had to say. The fact that he pretended that nothing happened between them last night and this morning-had even gone to great lengths to hide it from Chel-only showed Miguel that Tulio still had feelings for her. Perhaps his long-standing friend, _his heart_, didn't take him seriously after all...

He turned this way and that, losing himself in the midst of the foliage. The heat crept into his clothes and made his skin itch with fever and sweat. Miguel sat down on a small boulder and combed his blond strands with his hand, thinking. It hadn't even been a whole day and Tulio already had broken his heart. He started to despair...

_What was the point? Of course he couldn't truly see me in that way. Who was I to think he was different...?_

As he sat, contemplating, a shadow went unnoticed high up in the trees. The stalker sat along a slender branch and sized up its prey. From the folds of animal skins, it pulled out a long tube and a dart. The dart's tip glistened in the dappled sunlight from a deadly poison. With careful precision, they kept an eye on the blond Spaniard below and armed the blowgun. As soon as the dart was in place, they brought the weapon to unseen lips and took aim...

~/~/~/~/

"I should go after him." Tulio started in the direction that Miguel headed, wondering how in the name of Spain he was going to apologize.

"Wait." Chel interrupted. "Maybe it's best if you just let him cool off for a minute. He'll come back."

"He's really upset, Chel. How do you know if he'll come back? I've never seen him this mad before..." He flopped down on the ground, his face resting in his palms with worry.

The El Dorado woman crouched in front of him and pulled his hands apart, looking him dead in the eye with a smile on her lips. "He will come back. He loves you, Tulio. Just as much as you love him."

"But... But I-" Tulio looked to be on the verge of tears with doubt.

"No, no. There's no reason to explain. And you don't have to apologize to me, just for the record. I knew you two loved each other from the moment you two came to El Dorado. I could see it. I mean, I did an awful thing and came in between that just to be sure of my bargain with you two. I apologize." She held a fist over her heart to emphasize her point. "From the depths of my heart, I apologize for putting that distance between you two. I should have never done that. What you and I had, Tulio, it was great for a while, but it's not what either of us needed. Miguel is great for you and you two deserve one another."

They stood up and embraced, Tulio hiding any stray tears that may have escaped. He was a man and he sure as hell wasn't going to cry!

"Thanks, Chel."

"Anytime, Tulio."

Just then, they heard a girlish shriek within the depths of the forest. Tulio's heart pounded, fear flooding his mind and ice running through his veins...

"MIGUEL!" He raced down the path, hoping that he would make it just in time; Chel followed in his wake.

Moments later, they found Miguel crawling backwards on his hands and feet toward where they entered the small clearing as small projectiles zipped down towards the blond. They could even see a small dagger hurtle towards him.

"What the hell?" Tulio shouted at the bizarre scene, only to hide behind a tree as a dart lodged itself into the ground where his foot used to be. Chel gripped Miguel under the arm and pulled him behind the tree with her and Tulio.

The faint buzzing sound of the darts stopped. Tulio carefully peeked around the trunk, seeing if the attacker was still out there. A startled cry behind him caught his attention. The color drained from the dark-haired Spaniard's face at the sight before him.

The blond was sprawled on the ground, his head in Chel's lap, as she grasped at the bloody dagger that was imbedded in his shoulder. But that wasn't what was concerning her as much...

A wooden dart stuck out of his knee.

~/~/~/~/~/~/

_A/N: Yea, yea... I know this chapter's short. But trust me! :D It's meant to be! I just wanted to leave you all on a good cliff-hanger before moving on! Call me sadistic, but it sounds like jolly good fun! R&R like always... and don't kill me! XD But I promise that this was necessary! You won't be disappointed next chapter!_


	11. The Final Death of The Jaguar

-Fool's Gold

Paired Couple: MiguelXTulio/SLASH!/Lime

_A/N: Miguel, Chel and Tulio do not belong to me, they belong to Dreamworks. So on and-HEY! WE'RE BACK! Yay!_

Tulio fell to his knees.

This couldn't be happening...

This was a mistake. This was wrong.

Miguel... His best friend; his lover... He couldn't die...

He just couldn't-

The blond laid there, his breathing becoming shallow. His startling green eyes fluttered open and closed, unable to focus.

"Tuls?"

The raven-haired Spaniard crawled over to him, his arms shaking badly. "M-Miguel?"

"Wh-What's happening to... me..? Am I g-going blind?"

His mouth having gone dry, Tulio couldn't respond. Seeing Miguel laying there in Chel's lap, unable to string a sentence together coherently, tore at Tulio's heart with a sickening twist. Chel bit down hard on her lower lip, tears escaping her eyes, but a contemplative concentration overtook her features after a minute of staring at the wooden dart still sticking out of his knee.

"You're not going blind, Miguel. You were hit with a poisoned dart." She clarified, her voice uncharacteristically steady.

Shock overtook his eyes, the pupils dilating for a moment, before his eyelids drooped again as his strength began to bleed from him.

"So... This is i-it? I'm going to die?"

Tulio couldn't contain it any longer. He grabbed a hold of Miguel's hand and cried, his sobs shaking his frame from the inside out.

Chel smiled sadly. "Not yet."

Tulio looked up at her, his eyes swollen and leaking with hot tears. "Wh-What is _that_ supposed to mean? 'Not yet'? How can you just sit there and-" Another wave of overwhelming sadness crashed into him.

"We have time, but only just. We must get him the cure as soon as possible. The poison affects humans differently than animals. When Altivo..." She swallowed past the hard lump. "When Altivo got hit, the poison entered him immediately and killed him. There wasn't time to save him. But with humans, it's different. The poison slows down when it enters our blood." She looked down at Miguel. "You still have five hours before the poison overtakes you. It's only affecting you right now because it puts its victim in a deep sleep before it truly takes its final toll."

"So we can still save him?" Tulio looked up with hope. "Do you know the cure?"

"I do. Before you two came to El Dorado, the poison was one of the ways that Tzekel-Kan used to drug his sacrifices so they wouldn't be able to escape. But he kept the cure to it, so he could administer it to the sacrifice so they could arrive to Xibalba untainted."

"So there was some of the antidote back in El Dorado when we banished him?"

"Unfortunately, no. He took the poison and the cure with him before leaving."

"...And now, I get to use it to take my revenge on you all!" Came a sinister laugh from behind them.

In the clearing behind the trio stood a man with animal skins covering him from head to toe, a blow gun clutched in his right hand. He lifted his left hand and pulled off the hood from his head, revealing a man with long, black hair, and red paint crossing over the bridge of his nose.

Chel and Tulio didn't believe they would ever see the mad high priest again after he had been dragged off by Cortes and his men.

That crazy smile only widened as shock lit up their faces.

Tzekel-Kan was back, alive and no worse for wear.

~/~/~/~/~/

"You!" Tulio shouted with rage, standing up.

At this point, Miguel had fallen unconscious since the poison rendered him beyond exhaustion. The poison would slowly kill him from the inside out.

"Yes, Tulio. It is I. I have been waiting for the opportune moment to kill you three, ever since you managed to usurp my position as El Dorado's priest and hand me to those outlanders! They weren't even gods either!" He spat with disgust.

"You deserved what you got!" Chel yelled back at him. "You should have known that all your wanton sacrifices and killings would have eventually led to your downfall!"

"I am not here to talk about what has-been and what will-be! I've come to kill you! So do stay still as I exact my revenge on you!" Tzekel-Kan leaped, pulling a dagger from his waistband.

Tulio ran into him, tackling the former priest to the ground. They struggled in the dirt, rolling over and over, as Tzekel-Kan took swipes at the dark-haired Spaniard with his dagger. Tulio growled with a fury so potent, swearing in his heart that Tzekel-Kan would die for ever harming Miguel. Tulio wanted his adversary's blood.

As the two fighters got to their feet, Chel got into the fight, placing kicks at the demented priest's back, making him stumble several times. Tzekel-Kan turned around, slashing air, as the woman dodged out of the way. Tulio threw a punch at the back of his head. Tzekel-Kan anticipated the blow coming from behind and managed to slice open Tulio's knuckles. The enraged Spaniard hardly registered the pain; he slammed his injured fist into the priest's face, feeling the cheekbone crack under the pressure.

Tzekel-Kan snarled, an inhuman sound, and came at him with the dagger again, aiming for his gut. Chel jumped onto his back, locking her legs around their opponent, and pulled at his long hair. He reached around and grabbed her wrist, throwing her over his shoulder. She slammed into the ground with a sickening thud that clearly knocked her out.

It was just Tulio and Tzekel-Kan now.

"I swore to myself many moons ago to kill you all! When I found your footprints leading away from the city, I knew you three were on the run!" He cackled darkly. "And now, I'll have my vengeance at last!"

"Keep dreaming that, Tzek! I won't let that happen!"

They charged at each other again, Tulio coming in with punches while Tzekel-Kan continued to weave his deadly weapon in complex patterns in front of him. The fatal swipes of the dagger had the raven-haired Spaniard backing up along the path and out of the clearing, the enraged native following him.

As they cleared a line of trees, the sky was visible through the foliage above them, and eventually the foliage cleared altogether, leaving a clear plane of unbroken indigo. Nightfall was approaching.

Suddenly, Tulio slipped on a loose stone and fell face first into the dirt. The rock clattered down… somewhere…

He looked over his shoulder, after hearing an echo of the rock's descent. Just behind him, with his foot dangling five feet into open space, a cliff marked the stone's disappearance. The rocky outcropping, drenched in hanging vines, had Tulio gasping in fear.

Tulio never really told anyone, but he was damned afraid of heights.

"It seems you have run out of time." Came the low, sinister laughter of Tzekel-Kan, who approached calmly.

Tulio scrambled to his feet, holding his fists in front of him, ready to keep going despite his slight trembling of being so close to the edge. He set his narrowed sights on the man before him, reminding himself that this was the man that had killed Altivo and was killing his best friend, his lover, Miguel.

With the thought of Miguel and the memories they had shared racing through his mind, Tulio waited as Tzekel-Kan charged at him with a blinding frenzy, his dagger going for Tulio's throat. He jumped to the side and punched Tzekel-Kan in the side, winding him. But as he punched him, the dagger punctured his ribs. The cut was shallow, but left him breathless nonetheless. Blood seeped down his shirt and he grasped it tightly in one hand.

"Give up, Tulio! Without a weapon, you've no chance in defeating me!" The madman laughed weakly, still recovering from the punch to his side.

"NEVER!"

They charged at each other again. This time, Tzekel-Kan glanced his dagger off of Tulio's cheek, making the man fall to his hands and knees. Again, Tulio was only five feet away from the edge, his feet dangling over the space.

"This is the end for you and your little friends. I will enjoy watching Miguel die as I slowly torture the girl…"

Tzekel-Kan grabbed Tulio by the collar of his shirt as he said this, relishing in the fear that overwhelmed Tulio's eyes.

Suddenly, the Spaniard came up with a brilliant plan.

"Not in this lifetime." Tulio whispered, and he grabbed a hold of Tzekel-Kan's animal pelt. With strength he didn't know he had, he jerked Tzekel-Kan in a direction and swung him out behind him. As Tzekel-Kan stumbled to right himself, being two feet away from the cliff, Tulio stood unsteadily to his feet and kicked out at his shin.

The result was instantaneous.

Tzekel-Kan shrieked as he disappeared over the edge.

~/~/~/~/~/

_A/N: So WOOHOO! Tulio got rid of Crazy McCrazy-Face (a.k.a. Tzekel-Kan) once and for all! Now what…? Stay tuned for the ending, sure to come up soon! :D_


	12. Racing Sunrise

-Fool's Gold

Paired Couple: MiguelXTulio/SLASH!/Lime

_A/N: Miguel, Chel and Tulio do not belong to me, they belong to Dreamworks. Enjoy what is in store in this new update!_

It felt like ages to watch the mad priest fall over the cliff. Tulio didn't rush toward him to pull him back to safety, but neither did he look over the precipice to witness Tzekel-Kan's demise. He wasn't glad that he was dead, but neither did he regret it. Tulio figured that he deserved what he brought upon himself.

After a moment, Tulio walked back through the clearing and rushed over to Chel, only to see her stumble to her feet unsteadily.

"Are you okay?"

Chel held her head a moment, brushing aside a trickle of blood that had started to race down her left temple. "I'm fine, Tulio. I was just knocked out for a little bit. What happened?"

"He's gone." Tulio replied, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "He fell over the cliff back there."

"That's a relief." She sighed.

They both turned back and walked over to where Miguel laid, almost peacefully, on the ground about fifty feet away. Tulio laid a slightly shaking hand over the blond's, his stomach plummeting at the cold sensation of his lover's skin.

"Are you sure he's not…" The Spaniard couldn't finish the sentence.

"I'm positive, Tulio. All we have to do is get him the cure before morning."

"…But how?! Tzekel-Kan went over the cliff, so even if he had the cure, there's no way we could get down there, find his body, and get it all before the sun comes up."

"I guess the most we could do is to keep moving." Chel sighed, feeling the pain emanate off of Tulio's very being. She knew that the uncertainty about Miguel's fate was killing him inside. She despaired deep down, wishing there was something she could do to alleviate the pain.

Tulio nodded, unable to think of anything else to do. "Do you think the cure could be somewhere out here?" He indicated to the surrounding forest.

"I don't know, Tulio. All we can do is hope. We'll have to walk all night if we are to find it."

"Will you be able to identify it?"

"If it's out here, yes. I've seen Tzekel-Kan administer the cure to his sacrifices plenty of times; I'm sure I can recognize the plant."

Tulio lifted Miguel in his arms, surprised and worried at how light the blond Spaniard was. Usually, Miguel weighed more than this. He figured the poison was doing a number on him internally… His muscles would no doubt be atrophying under the effects of the dart.

Pushing back a lock of golden hair from his beloved's sweaty brow, he looked down at him and fought the urge to release a torrential rain of tears. His heart clenched in his chest as he watched Miguel, unconscious and unknowing of his surroundings, flinch in his grasp and mutter with pain in his poison-induced sleep.

~/~/~/~/~/

"… Tulio… please… help… me…"

It had been two hours since they left the clearing when Tulio heard the soft murmuring coming from the man that he had tied to his back like some living pack. His wrists and ankles had been tied around his middle and neck to prevent Miguel from sliding from his back.

"Miguel?" Tulio watched his lover move over his shoulder, whimpering while his eyes flickered under their lids. "Miguel, I'm here! Do you hear me?" He stopped in his tracks, untied Miguel from his neck and hips and gently slid him down onto the ground.

"… So… cold… please… Tuls…"

"Miguel! I'm here!"

Chel settled a hand on his shoulder. "He can't hear you. He's in a deep sleep that is more than likely filled with hallucinations and horrible visions. All you can do is keep him close while we find the cure. We should be going, Tulio. We don't have much time and the hallucinations are only going to get worse from here."

It was when Tulio stood up and turned to look at her that Chel saw the depth of his fear, his pain, and his helplessness within his dark eyes. Tears-hot, yet restrained-glittered from his eyes while he tried to keep a steady baritone in his voice.

"Isn't there anything we can do? I just can't watch Miguel…" His voice cracked and he covered his face in his hands, unable to continue that sentence.

Suddenly, gone was the clever, opportunistic con-man from Spain, to be reduced to a broken shell that couldn't hold back the tears that carved scorching trails down his face; the man that was about to lose the very thing that meant everything to him.

It didn't matter if he had all the gold in the world anymore… Everything else was fool's gold; trinkets that held no value when Miguel possessed his heart…

Forcefully wiping his face from his pain, Tulio went back to where Miguel laid and picked him up in his arms, this time holding him there when he realized the rope burns that the blond had around his wrists and ankles. Even if it would take more of his strength to hold him this way, Tulio wouldn't complain. When Chel had offered to hold Miguel for him, Tulio had refused, not because he didn't want her help, but because she had to find the plant that would cure Miguel; a task that would be greatly hindered if she also had to carry Miguel.

No, the task of carrying his lover was up to him alone. It was his fault that Miguel had wandered off, only to have been shot with the poisoned dart by Tzekel-Kan. If only he hadn't ignored Miguel earlier in the day, none of this would have happened. Miguel wouldn't be in a race for his life.

It would be his fault if Miguel didn't make it… and he would never forgive or could live with himself for as long as he lived… already, he loathed himself for what had happened thus far…

The only ultimate question that hung around Tulio and Chel the entire night was this: Would they make it in time to save Miguel?

~/~/~/~/~/~/

His eyes drooped low from fatigue as he fought with every step to stay awake. The only thing that kept him going was holding Miguel tight in his arms and looking down at him every minute or so. Even when he couldn't see him in the darkest part of the forest, Tulio still looked down to see his outline. It held fast his resolve.

But now, the sky was becoming lighter and lighter. The ability to see everything in a faint, misty blue light of pre-dawn quickened his blood and almost paralyzed his mind in terror. It would be about an hour or so before the sun was high in the sky.

Chel had gone up ahead to search the forest for the plant that would save Miguel's life, certain that she remembered what it looked like, while Tulio continued to carry the blond towards a possibility of a village, perhaps not far off.

The native woman had left three hours ago to search for it. Her elongated absence was grimly noted and only helped along the growth of bubbling panic inside of the dark haired Spaniard's heart. Every minute, he expected to stop feeling Miguel's shaky breaths on his chest. Already, however, he noticed that the slight figure in his hold was steadily becoming colder and trembling, as if overcome by a freezing downpour, despite the hot and humid air of the forest surrounding them.

Then again, Tulio had the strangest feeling that Miguel wasn't the only one shaking. His fatigue was the precursor, he concluded, to an onset of sickness. He had once experienced this similar type of illness when he was ten, but he could hardly recall the memory.

He looked down once again at Miguel's insipid frame, anxiety pulling at his heartstrings. He wished he could do something about that expression on his beloved's face; take away the pain.

He jerked with a start when he realized he could see the other man's features almost perfectly.

Light was cascading down from the skies, bringing about the inevitable!

Suddenly, he broke out in a run. "Help! Someone, please help us!" Tulio's throat burned raw like a freshly opened wound as he continued to shout. "HELP!"

Dizzyingly and uncoordinated, he stumbled over rocks and roots, his clothes catching on thorns and snagging branches as he passed. Just as quickly as he had started, his shoe slipped from a knot of wood sticking up from out of the ground, causing him to fall to earth with a dull, aching thud.

Miguel had fallen from his lover's hold, to lie sprawling on the forest floor two feet away.

"Please… Help us…" Tulio whispered, uncharacteristic tears free-falling from his eyes as he shivered violently.

Suddenly, he glimpsed four strangers approaching him. In the back of the procession, he recognized a worried Chel, who seemed to have lead them there, before falling behind to let them pass her to get to him. In that moment, aside from any real reason, Tulio experimentally clenched his right hand. He was surprised-yet not surprised at all-to find that he was gripping the blond Spaniard's hand in his.

Without warning, the world dimmed and everything went dark.

~/~/~/~/~/

The first sensation he was aware of was a throbbing, aching feeling, as if his entire body resembled a single, widespread, and massive bruise. His eyes remained shut, blocking out the light that he instinctively knew would send a searing headache to his temples. That was the last thing he needed. Instead, he surveyed his surroundings slowly, dependent on sensation of the area around him and hearing.

He felt the animal pelt beneath him-some kind of soft wool that he didn't recognize-and heavily stuffed pillows under his head. He listened intently, seeking out any tell-tale voices or sounds so that he could gauge whether or not he was alone. Too softly, to the point that he almost didn't catch it, he heard the gentle deep breathing of someone sleeping not too far off. Birds chirped as if from a great distance, so he concluded that he was probably in a small village or far away from the forest.

_But where..?_

He sat up from his crude bedding and slowly opened his eyes, a damp rag falling from his forehead and into his lap. He supposed it was used to cool him down throughout his sleep-however long _that _had been.

The walls were woven sticks and a single hole in the ceiling let in the sunlight to light up the hut. A ring of stones, with charred logs sitting in the middle of them, sat underneath the hole for ventilation. His makeshift bed of pelt and pillows sat on the stone floor, surrounded by other pelts and stone pottery.

As he continued to look around, he noticed a diminutive-framed woman in cool shadow alongside one wall about five feet away, her head nodding in sleep as she sat. She had dark raven hair pulled back by a blue ribbon and wore a simple yellow and red dress. In her hands, she held knitting needles made of bone and a half-finished garment that looked like it was being knitted from the same type of wool that made up his pillows and blanket. The sunlight coming in from the ceiling laid a gentle ray on her swollen abdomen.

He tried to stand up from his bed, confused of his whereabouts, but managed to knock over a jug of water in the process. He clutched the sides of his head from the clattering sound; it caused his head to pound mercilessly.

The clatter jerked the woman awake. For a moment, their eyes locked on one another in surprise.

She got to her feet unsteadily, the weight of her abdomen seeming almost too much to lift. She smiled. "Oh good, you're awake! We weren't sure if you were ever going to be able to shift your fever any time soon."

"I suppose that's good." He nodded, uncertain of this woman. "Who are you?"

"I am Chicha. I've been watching over you while you recovered from your fever. You should be careful not to overexert yourself when you're exhausted and haven't eaten in several days. Your friend told us as much when the guards found you."

"My friend..?"

"Chel! And of course, you would be Tulio. It's nice to finally meet you." She held out a hand, which he shook in turn.

Hearing Chel's name brought back some of Tulio's memory of the last time he was awake. He had been in the jungle, desperately searching and holding onto-

Suddenly, his head felt like it was ready to crack in two. The Spaniard fell to his knees, holding onto his head and grimacing in pain.

Chicha picked up a bowl from the ground and pushed him back onto the makeshift bed he had found himself in. "Lay back, nice and easy. That's it." She proffered the bowl in her hands. "Now drink this, it'll help."

After taking a generous swallow of broth, Tulio spoke again. "How long was I asleep?"

"Five days."

"Five days?" He replied with dread, feeling sick. "But that means-where's Miguel?! Please, you must tell me!"

"He should be in the other hut next door with Chel. Doctor Almaris had been working on him nonstop since you both arrived here. I had been overseeing your health so that the doctor could concentrate on helping your friend. It's a good thing that the men that found you happened to carry the plant that your friend needed to counteract the poison; they always carry it in case one of them gets poisoned on hunting expeditions outside of the city."

"So Miguel is..?"

"Alive, yes. Actually, the last I heard, he was up and sightseeing the city about two hours ago, before I had my nap here-"

Tulio sat up and tried to get out of bed. "He's awake?!" He was shoved back down.

"You can't go see him right now, you have to rest. You're still weakened."

"But I-"

"But I see you're persistent. Very well." She smiled again. "If you can finish this milk here, you can go see him." Chicha handed him another bowl, filled to the brim.

Tulio put the bowl to his lips, figuring he'd down the milk in one long drink.

He almost gagged on the oddly rancid taste. "This isn't milk!" He protested.

"It's llama's milk. Drink up, it's good for you."

"Llama? What the heck is that? Don't you have cows here?"

The woman cocked her head. "What's a cow?"

"…Never mind. Do I have to drink this, though?"

"Yes. It helps bring down your fever." She laughed.

Before he could take another drink of the thick milk, a shout outside the pelt door of the hut caught his attention. Both Tulio and Chicha looked over at the entrance, confused.

Suddenly, Tulio was tackled by a figure that ran into the hut. "TULIO! YOU'RE AWAKE!"

_A/N: Sorry for the long-awaited update. Been agonizing over what I should put as an ending for this. But now that I've figured out the ending… I think you'll like the results! :D Stay tuned; R&R like always! _


	13. Epilogue: Meeting With An Emperor

-Fool's Gold

Paired Couple: MiguelXTulio (guest starring Chicha, Pacha, and Kuzco)/SLASH!/Lime

_A/N: Miguel, Chel and Tulio do not belong to me, they belong to Dreamworks. The Emperor's New Groove and it's characters belong to Disney. Enjoy this crazy-a$$ ending! :D_

"M-Miguel?"

"I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH! I WANTED TO SEE YOU SOONER, BUT THEY TOLD ME THAT YOU WERE STILL RECOVERING AND THAT I COULD SEE YOU WHEN YOU WERE AWAKE! SO I WAITED AND WAITED AND WAITED-"

Tulio untangled himself from the spazzy blond, momentarily and thankfully ending his euphoric shouting in his ear.

As soon as the two sat up on the pelts, Tulio looked into Miguel's sparkling green eyes, still unable to comprehend that he was alive and well, wearing a peculiar poncho the same shade as his golden hair, a dark chestnut skirt, and a set of single strap leather-soled sandals. Despite being dressed in the ridiculous garb, Tulio's only thought at that moment was how beautiful this blond Spaniard was.

The weight of anxiety fell from the raven-haired man's shoulders, leaving his heart fluttering with barely suppressed happiness and his stomach feeling as light as butterflies. Just staring into his beloved's face and knowing that the blond had come close to death made him appreciate how long he had known Miguel and letting him know of his feelings, before it could have all been too late.

However, the very thought of how close he had been to losing Miguel forever sent spears through his lungs, leaving him gasping. Tears, uninvited and without regard, rolled down his cheeks. The unconscious act became a trigger to barely suppressed sobbing.

He grabbed onto Miguel's collar and pressed his face hard against the fabric, shielding the tears as if embarrassed.

"What's wrong, Tuls?"

Tulio only pressed his face further into Miguel's poncho, unable to voice his relief, his fears, his happiness…

"_Usted me puede decir nada…" _He whispered into Tulio's ear, soft as a caressing sigh of wind. _"…mi amor…"_

The raven-haired Spaniard looked at him then, plucking up the courage to say what was necessary; to express everything that he felt, despite his mind warring against it. He normally wasn't one to divulge his emotions, seeing as he would consider himself weak to do so.

"I'm just so happy to see you safe, Miguel… I thought you were going to d-die… If you had… I would have never forgiven myself… I'm so sorry to have put you through all of that… I-If only I hadn't ignored you and p-pushed you away… I'm such an idiot; a jerk-"

Miguel put a finger to Tulio's lips, stopping the torrential flow of self-inflicted insults, lightly chuckling and gently smiling. He shook his head. "No, Tulio. It's not your fault. It would have happened no matter what. Tzekel-Khan would have gotten one of us and I'd have rather it be me than you getting poisoned. Besides, I should reprimand _you_ for pushing yourself so hard; you were worse off than I was!" He teased.

"If I hadn't pushed myself, who knows what would have happened to you!" Tulio countered.

"I would have been okay. You only broke your fever an hour ago. And they still wouldn't let me in to see you!"

Tulio wiped his tears away, laughing as he imagined the picture of Miguel demanding to enter Chicha's hut to see him. It was so contradictory to the care-free, understanding blond that he knew so well that he considered it ridiculous.

"Oh, Miguel… _Qué haría yo sin ti? T__ú eres la única persona que nunca neces__ita__mos en este mundo. A__demás, q__uién sería capaz de m__antenerse al día con mí y__gritar __mi nombr__e__ cuando se corren,__ como__ se hace__?"_

Miguel opened his mouth to speak, only to have his voice to betray him and his face to flush a bright red. He closed his mouth quickly with a snap, unable to come up with anything to say.

"What did he say?" A familiar voice asked curiosly.

Chel stood in the doorway, flanked by an elderly man that carried a pouch that was overfilled with herbs that Tulio guessed was Doctor Almaris, and a large man that looked like he was in his mid-thirties, that wore a light green poncho, a dark brown skirt similar to Miguel's, identical sandals, and a weird knobby hat on his head.

Sheepishly, Miguel interjected Tulio before he could say anything. "Nothing! He said nothing!"

"Oh, we'll see who said '_nothing_' later." Tulio grinned, turning Miguel's head by the chin between his forefinger and thumb and giving him a smoldering look. He turned his attention to the others. "How are you, Chel?"

"I'm okay, Tulio. Are you feeling better?"

"Yea, I'm feeling great! Thanks to Chicha here, I recovered quite well."

Chicha stood up from her seat among the pelts and went over to the big, burly man that stood over by the door and put her arms around him.

"Well, that's good to hear, stranger." The man replied with a surprisingly deep voice and a smile. "My wife could give Doctor Almaris here a run for his money." He clapped the doctor on the shoulder in amusement.

Almaris laughed, brandishing a toothless grin. "Probably! Your wife is a natural healer! If she weren't due to have your third child any day now, I would have liked to have her work with me! My old bones are getting tired and I know I won't be able to keep doing what I do." As if for proof, he pushed up his poncho to reveal his stick thin arms, liver spotted and shaking with the advanced years. His large eyes set far back in his skull reminded Tulio of a wizened owl. Complete with his hunched frame, mass of wrinkles, and his wispy white hair, it was anybody's guess of how old he was.

Miguel spoke up just then, introducing the burly man. "Tulio, you've already met Chicha I assume. This is her husband, Pacha. He's the one that's been showing us the city while you've been sleeping."

"And keeping Miguel out of trouble." Chel added.

"Oh Tulio! You should see the city! It's incredible! It's more than we imagined it would be!"

"The city… What city are we in?" Tulio asked.

Instead of answering, Miguel turned to Almaris. "Is it okay for him to come out and see the city, Doc?"

"He seems to be okay. I think it'll do him some good to get a bit of exercise." The old man replied.

Suddenly, Miguel grabbed a hold of Tulio's hand and dragged him out of the hut.

When Tulio stepped outside, he took in the sight before him and gaped with wonder.

Although all of the huts around them were made of the same woven rush sticks, every wall was lightly inlaid with quartz and turquoise pieces, making them glitter white and blue. The roads were golden bricks, outlined by large trees and statues of gold. Many of the statues depicted the same young man, over and over, with a variety of happy or serious expressions and poses, wearing a large, half disc crown on top of his long, geometrically straight hair, large, round earrings carved from turquoise weighing down his ears, and a sweeping robe that curled upward at the hem in the back, which looked like it dragged on the ground, and showed off his rail thin legs in the front and his feet in leather-soled sandals. In the distance, almost like an afterthought, stood three steppe pyramids, all inlaid with gold and turquoise, with a giant quartz gem sitting on top of each structure, glittering like giant replicas of diamonds.

This person that the statues depicted, however, looked even younger than Tulio and Miguel! This realization made Tulio raise an eyebrow in question. Who was this guy? Was he the chief of this city, like Tanabok was to El Dorado?

"I see you've discovered one of the many busts of our Emperor." Pacha said from his left.

This made Tulio look at him, bewildered. "Emperor? You mean, he's not just a chief?"

"Chief? No, he rules over a great expanse of land. He elects chiefs to neighboring, lesser cities and villages, and they in turn answer to him. His land extends all the way from El Dorado in the South, to Tenochtitlan in the North."

"What?! Wait, El Dorado is a _lesser city_?! What is this place?!"

"Welcome to Tollan, Tulio." Miguel responded, practically beaming.

~/~/~/~/

After Tulio briefly returned to the hut to put on fresh clothes-a bright red poncho with a deep brown skirt and single strap sandals-Tulio, Miguel, Chel, and Pacha wandered the busy streets of the great city while Pacha commentated the sights for Tulio. Chicha remained behind, due to her advanced pregnancy.

They eventually passed a group of youths that were playing with a ball, trying to knock it into a hoop set in one of the stone walls that was part of the perimeter walls of the city with only their knees and elbows. Tulio grinned over at Miguel, remembering a day they had played that same game in another city. Miguel smiled back, mirth dancing in his eyes.

Two of the children, a little boy and a slightly older girl, extricated themselves from the ball game and ran toward Pacha, calling out to him as they threw their arms around his legs. "Papa!"

"Hey kids!" He laughed. "Miguel, Tulio, Chel-this is my son, Tipo, and my daughter, Chaca. Tipo, Chaca-these are friends of me and your mom's: Miguel, Tulio, and Chel."

"Hi Mister Miguel!" Tipo smiled widely, reaching for Miguel. The blond laughed and picked Tipo up in one arm. "Hi Tipo! It's good to meet you!"

As Chaca complimented on Chel's clothing and hair, Tulio stood back and watched Miguel listening intently to Tipo's excited jabbering, amused at how his lover was being treated to a dose of his own medicine twice-over. But more than that, as he continued to watch, he saw how Miguel could make a great father to, perhaps, an adopted child of theirs…

…The very thought caught him off guard. He shook his head to clear his mind of the notion. There was always time to think about something like the future later.

The four of them left a bit later, Pacha having asked his children to return home to their mother.

"They're wonderful children, Pacha." Chel smiled. "You raised them well."

"Thank you, but I think you should leave that praise to Chicha. Without her, I hardly think I could have raised them half as well."

Just then, as they passed a large pool of water, a larger man than Pacha approached in a brisk jog, sweating slightly in the heat. His long, curly, black hair reached his expansive shoulders, crowned by a small golden cap and wearing blue and yellow body armor and a deep purple skirt. He stopped in front of them, catching his breath.

"I went to your house, Pacha, but your wife said you had left with the visitors some time ago." He said.

"I did. What's the problem, Kronk?" Pacha asked.

"Nothing's wrong. The Emperor, however, has summoned the visitors to his palace. He wishes to meet them."

~/~/~/~/~/

Tulio, Chel, Pacha, and Miguel stood at the foot of the raised dais, upon which sat a large golden throne. Kronk stood next to the elegant chair, hands clasped behind his back in a regal manner.

As they stood before the empty chair, Miguel and Tulio held hands, squeezing alternately in reassurance.

Suddenly, Kronk called out to no one in particular, in a loud, booming voice. "All hail the mighty and supreme Emperor of Tollan and the surrounding subsidiary cities, Emperor Kuzco!"

The tall, ornate doors to the far right of the throne burst open, revealing an exact replica of the man that was depicted around the city in carved golden statues, except that he was a living man, with lighter skin given the fact that he remained indoors most of the time. He had black hair and bright eyes that shined with calculated interest. He wore the same sweeping robes that he was seen wearing in the statues, curling at the hem and dragging along the ground behind him. They were made of a fine red silk embroidered with gold, and on his head rested a heavy looking headdress made of beaten gold. His earrings were turquoise discs hanging from his ears.

As the young man, Emperor Kuzco, was taking his seat, Tulio whispered to Miguel. "Miguel, I can't believe we made it!"

"I can't, either. But I'm glad we did! It's what you've always wanted; to be here! If we're lucky, we can probably get into the Emperor's favor and take some gold with us when we get a ship built to take us back to Spain."

Tulio shook his head, confusing the blond next to him. "You know what I've learned, _mi amor_? Gold can't even compare to having you in my life. All of it is just Fool's Gold in comparison to loving you. I say we should get a ship built and just head back to Spain. We could settle down, adopt a kid or two, and make our living off of your music and my paintings."

Astonished at the fact that Tulio suggested exactly what Miguel always dreamed of having with Tulio, he couldn't help but laugh at that last bit. "Your paintings? Tulio, you can't paint, as far as I know!"

"Well, I'm gonna have to learn someday, now won't I?" He kissed him briefly, whispering, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Tulio."

"Welcome to my city, visitors from another land!" Kuzco greeted, slouching against one arm of the throne. "I am Emperor Kuzco! Who might you be?"

End.

_A/N: Questions? Comments? Please feel free to let me know what you think! _


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